So, you wanna muck about on
Lathuria, huh? Your GM has it in his head to use the campaign setting and
you wanna make a character. Well, then, I suppose you want information on
how to go about it, huh? So, here we are, attempting to shed a little
light on the character creation process and the particular peculiars of making
a BESM character for Spellweavers. This setting was created for BESM
Second Edition, so you'll need a copy of that core rule book in order to make
your character.

The Anime Feel
First thing that you want to
remember is that Spellweavers is supposed to be a setting like you might see in
a fantasy/comedy Anime. Perhaps the most famous example of this genre is Slayers
and its OAVs, movies, and sequel seasons. Like any BESM campaign setting,
you'll want to keep in mind the look and concepts of the genre of Anime you
wish to imitate.
One of the best ways to begin is to
decide on a stock character concept. This may mean deciding what role
your character will play in the group as a professional (wizard, healer, ninja)
or as a group dynamic (ring leader, comic relief, requisite greenhorn).
Other times, a character concept will present itself out of the blue.
Character concepts have been known to come from common sayings, lines from
movies, or parodies of other genres. Where ever the inspiration comes
from, though, your concept should suggest certain attributes and skills for you
to concentrate on when making your character. Take them to extremes and
nine times out of ten, you'll hit the kind of character you're aiming for.

Choosing Your Race
Now that you know what kind of
character you want to make, you can start making some of the meat and potatoes
decisions on how your character will manifest herself. For most people,
the next step will be to choose a race.
There are many intelligent races
upon Lathuria, but only four with the ability to use magic. They are
known as the Races of Power and make up the vast majority of the civilizations
of Lathuria.

The Angels
The
first of the three immortal races, the Angels are lovers of light and
splendor. They are benevolent beings who have no taste for pain or
sorrow. However, they will not hesitate to fight when they deem that
fighting is needed and they are formidable fighters. They revere their
healers and protectors above all others, though, and seek to spread and praise
these arts whenever they see them. The oldest and most powerful of the Angels
is King Lylemuth. Second to him in power is his daughter, Princess
Deresora. After her, there is the captain-general of the Angels,
Cypherion. His two Knights, Paslar and Quonus, are known as the Lady of
Healing and the Lord of Protection, respectively.
Like
their Demon counterparts, the Angels are beings of limitless astral life
energy. Current thought is that they actually manufacture it as they
live. They have developed an art by which Humans may draw upon these
immense energy reserves and channel it into the magic of healing and
protection.
It is
important to note that Angels are not necessarily "good" per
se. Like any other race, it is possible to have an "evil"
Angel. Angels are not holy creatures (though there are those who would
like others to believe so) and it is just as likely to see an Angel doing an
evil deed as it is to see a Human doing an evil deed.

Angels as Player Characters
The
Angels of Lathuria come in a wide variety of forms, although they always look
humanoid in form. Some have wings, halos, or horns, others do not.
To add a bit of flavor, the player is highly encouraged to give her character
at least one recognizable trait that marks them as an Angel. In which case,
they should also take at least one level of Marked as a flaw. It is
entirely up to the player and her GM to decide on what attributes to
take. There is one exception, however. Since Angels are the
originators of White Magic, they are required to take at least one level of
Magic (white). The Angel character's white magic is then powered by her
own astral energy. Angel characters have more flexibility when it comes
to what they can do with their white magic and can come up with effects on the
fly during game play. The effects should be limited to healing and
protective effects, though, and the GM will have the final say on whether an
effect a player comes up with is acceptable or not. Angel characters are
also only limited to white magic. They are not allowed to use black or
elemental magic under any circumstances.
You may be
tempted to look up the Angel template that is published in the BESM Fantasy
Bestiary. However, unless that is the type of character you are
aiming for, you probably will not want to use it for this campaign
setting. For one thing, it is a template very expensive in character
points for a beginning character. For another thing, it does not fit well
with the idea of what the Angels are supposed to be in Spellweavers, favoring
instead the traditional concept of Angels as holy warrior paladins.

The Demons
The
second of the three immortal races, the Demons prefer the night and simplicity
over light and spectacle. They are the most warlike of the Races of Power
and delight in the thrill of battle and the glow of destruction. Though
they have their fair share of healers and scholars, the most revered among them
are the strong and those skilled in the warrior's arts. The eldest of the
Demons, King Kellemain, is just such a figure; he is the greatest warrior ever
to walk Lathuria and needs prove it to no one. His chosen successor is
his daughter Selket, a weaver of battle magic beyond compare. Rezarcho is
the next strongest of the Demons and holds the rank of captain-general of all
Demons. He has three knights; Styx, the Lord of Hatred, Cocytus, the Lady
of Fear, and Acheron, the Lord of Affliction.
Like
their Angel counterparts, the Demons are beings of limitless astral life
energy. Current thought is that they actually manufacture it as they
live. They have developed an art by which Humans may draw upon these
immense energy reserves and channel it into the magic of warfare and
destruction.
It is
important to note that Demons are not necessarily "evil" per
se. Like any other race, it is possible to have an "good"
Demon. Demons are not infernal creatures (though there are those who
would like others to believe so) and it is just as likely to see a Demon doing
a good deed as it is to see a Human doing a good deed.

Demons as Player Characters
The
Demons of Lathuria come in a wide variety of forms, although they always look
humanoid in form. Some have wings, claws, or horns, others do not. To
add a bit of flavor, the player is highly encouraged to give her character at
least one recognizable trait that marks them as a Demon. In which case,
they should also take at least one level of Marked as a flaw. It is
entirely up to the player and her GM to decide on what attributes to
take. There is one exception, however. Since Demons are the
originators of Black Magic, they are required to take at least one level of
Magic (black). The Demon character's black magic is then powered by her
own astral energy. Demon characters have more flexibility when it comes
to what they can do with their black magic and can come up with effects on the
fly during game play. The effects should be attack effects, though, and
the GM will have the final say on whether an effect a player comes up with is
acceptable or not. Demon characters are also only limited to black
magic. They are not allowed to use white or elemental magic under any
circumstances.
You may be
tempted to look up the Demon template that is published in the BESM Fantasy
Bestiary. However, unless that is the type of character you are
aiming for, you probably will not want to use it for this campaign
setting. For one thing, it is a template very expensive in character
points for a beginning character. For another thing, it does not fit well
with the idea of what the Demons are supposed to be in Spellweavers, favoring
instead the traditional concept of Demons as infernal invaders from the
underworld.

The Elves
The
third of the three immortal races, are the Elves. They prefer a moderate
mix of the philosophies of their two immortal counterparts. Each Elf is
encouraged to follow the path of their own heart and no profession or art is
valued above others in their society, though reverence for nature is
universally taught as the one, true way for an Elf. Queen Withra is the
oldest of the Elves and is revered as the wisest. She is the being upon
Lathuria most in tune with nature and she is widely regarded as the greatest Shaman
ever to exist. She has four advisor-generals at her side, each with an
equal share of power and who serves as the highest ranking Shaman aside from
the Queen of the four aspects of nature. The first, a fighting monk of
great renown, is Giara the Stone Lady, Knight of Earth. The second is
Antiachua, a priestess of exceptional skill, the Lady of the Torrents, Knight
of Water. Third is Aeolis, the expert marksman who can be bested with a
bow by no one living or dead upon Lathuria, the Wind Lord, the Knight of
Air. Finally, there is Helioris, a master of the double swords, the Lord
of Flames, the Knight of Fire.
The
Elves are different from their other immortal counterparts in that they have
much smaller portions of astral energy. They make up for this by being
one with nature and drawing upon that instead. They have also shared this
particular brand of magic with Humans.

Elves as Player Characters
The
Elves of Lathuria look for the most part like Humans. Their most distinguishing
feature is their pointed ears, which would incur a level of Marked as a
flaw. Other than that, it is entirely up to the player and her GM to
decide on what attributes to take. There is one exception, however.
Since Elves are the originators of Elemental Magic, they are required to take
at least one level of Magic (elemental). Since Elves draw on the energies
of nature in order to use magic, they are required to cast spells and therefore
the player must define what spells her character has before game play. In
general, the player should decide on a theme for her magic, based upon one of
the four natural elements. For example, a player decides that her
character will have a theme of fire for her magic so she decides to use some of
her magic points to make a Weapon Attack (Fireball) spell. Elf characters
are also only limited to elemental magic. They are not allowed to use
white or black magic under any circumstances.
You may be
tempted to look up the High Elf template that is published in the BESM
Fantasy Bestiary. However, unless that is the type of character you
are aiming for, you probably will not want to use it for this campaign
setting. For one thing, it is a template very expensive in character
points for a beginning character. For another thing, it does not fit well
with the idea of what the Elves are supposed to be in Spellweavers, favoring
instead the concept of an Elf as an all-wise matron or teacher of ancient lore.

The Humans
Humanity is the only Race of Power upon Lathuria that is not immortal.
Like the Elves, they do not have large supplies of astral energy.
However, they are gifted with the ability to draw on the astral energies of the
other Races of Power. It is for this reason alone that they have not been
lumped together with all the other mortal races upon Lathuria and are called a
Race of Power instead. There is no single ruler among the Humans of
Lathuria and there are more humans than can ever be counted spread across the
continent in every climate and landscape. Humanity has no single culture,
no single philosophy, and to the other Races of Power their existence is
something of an enigma; after all, with one race of darkness, one race of
light, and one race of balance, what need did the Lord of Worlds have with a
race of easily influenced and short-lived children? Their sheer numbers
alone make them the greatest force, collectively, upon Lathuria. But the
chances of them all standing together are slim due to their sheer diversity.

Humans as Player Characters
Humans
are the great open book of Lathuria. They player is by and large free to
decide on what kind of culture her player is from (within reason and with GM
blessing, of course). They are a Race of Power and therefore must take at
least one level of Magic, but it is up to the player to choose which type of
magic to take. If the GM agrees, the player may, however, take levels of
lesser magic at a decreased character point cost. But the possibility for
magic must exist in the character in some sense. Since Humans draw on the
astral energies of the Angels and Demons and the energies of nature, they must
cast spells to use magic. Because of this, the player must define her
character's spells before game play. In general, they should have a theme
(such as black, white, or one of the four elements of nature). For
example, a player may decide that her human character knows black magic, so she
assigns her magic points to a devastating Weapon Attack. Or perhaps the
character knows elemental magic of air, so the player creates a spell that
allows her character to fly for a short period of time. Possibilities are
endless, but all spells should be subject to the GM’s blessing.

The four Races of Power are
definitely the most prolific and most decidedly are the most influential on
Lathuria. But they do not encompass all of the intelligent races found on
the continent.

Non-Races of Power
Aside from
the four Races of Power, there are a great number of other sentient and
semi-sentient races upon Lathuria. For whatever reason, these races are
unable to use magic. But that does not make any of them any less powerful
or intelligent. With the exception of the Grenduls, they tend to be far
less numerous and it is not unheard of for one to go one's entire life without
seeing one. None of these races should be allowed to use the Magic
attribute.

Beast-Men -
Said to have resulted from a series of rather... er... strange and... well...
somewhat... unhealthy interactions between Humans and beasts. Though
fantastical, these stories have absolutely nothing to corroborate them.
Humanoid forms of many different animals exist on Lathuria, forming packs,
prides, and flocks hidden in secret locations though out forests and mountains.

Centaurs - Considered
to be slightly more refined than other beast-men, centaurs roam the open plains
that lies south of the Desert of White Dust. They are wilderness warriors
of renown. For a useful template, see the BESM Fantasy Bestiary.

Crissrichs - Also
known as sea-orcs, these fearsome creatures migrate from place to place along
the coasts of Lathuria, terrorizing the mer-folk whenever they can.
Appearing as a nightmarish blending of merfolk, sharks, and orcs, they are the
scourge of the sea and attack in packs.

Dragons -
Fewest in numbers of all intelligent races on Lathuria, there aren't even
enough of them left to create a system of packs. Extremely long-lived,
many of the ones that remain remember the War of the Young. They can be
found in the most remote parts of Lathuria, such as mountains and
forests. Don't tangle with 'em, for you are crunchy and good with
ketchup. For a useful template, see the BESM Fantasy Bestiary and
exclude the attribute "Dynamic Sorcery."

Dwarves -
Known as fierce warriors and master craftsmen of stone and metal, Dwarf-crafted
weapons are a precious commodity in any market. Though Dwarves have no
compunction against city living, most of the Dwarves of Lathuria can be found
in the Mitzan Mountains in the east. For a useful template, see the BESM
Fantasy Bestiary.

Fairies - The
best gardeners of Lathuria. Fairies can accomplish amazing feats of
botany for a race without magic. The tiniest of all sentient races on
Lathuria, they are also the hardest to find. Many famous cooks and bakers
seek out Fairy colonies in order to obtain a regular supply of goods such as
Fairy Honey and Fairy Spices. Such goods are considered to make the best
foods on Lathuria. For a useful template, see the template for the Pixie
in the BESM Fantasy Bestiary.

Grenduls - By
far, the most numerous of the Non-Races of Power, these rabbit-like creatures
can be found almost anywhere. Though most of them live in burrowed
communities in forest or plain areas, many also live in cities and make their
way as very charming businessbunnies. Diminutive and flighty, Grenduls
can often take a lot of getting used to. But they have seemingly endless
supplies of energy and vigor.

Halflings - On
Lathuria, these small humanoids have both a reputation for performance and
thievery. Though there most certainly are Halflings that excel at
sneaking around and stealing things, this reputation is not always
earned. Many Halflings travel the continent as members of the Bardic
Circles and when a company of Halfling theater performers comes to town, you
know it will be a party. For a useful template, see the BESM Fantasy
Bestiary.

Kobolds -
Bi-pedal dog creatures that are attracted to shiny things. Often
traveling in packs, they have also been known to latch on to unsuspecting
adventuring parties in hopes of finding bigger, shinier treasures in places
they would usually get killed trying to reach. For a useful template, see
the BESM Fantasy Bestiary.

Mer-folk -
Land-goers also sometimes refer to them as the guardians of the seas, there are
no races on Lathuria better at sea-faring than those who live in the waters
themselves. Mer-folk do limited trade with land-goers, selling pearls and
corals as novelties or raw materials for crafts. Companies of Mer-folk
will also hire themselves out to sailing concerns as guides and mercenary
guards. For a useful template, see the BESM Fantasy Bestiary.

Minotaurs -
The largest and proudest of the beast-men, Minotaurs consider themselves to be
above the other beast-men of Lathuria. A warrior race, they are very
fearsome in battle. A charging Minotaur is near impossible to stop
without magic or a score or more of soldiers. They don't use magic and
have never regretted this. They are proud of their non-magical heritage
and tend to ridicule those who use Black Magic in order to fight battles.
For a useful template, see the BESM Fantasy Bestiary.

Orcs - Big...
mean... ugly... You get the idea. See the BESM Fantasy Bestiary
for a template.

Trolls - Even
bigger, meaner, and uglier than Orcs. They have an unyielding and
incomprehensible hatred toward the Dwarves and try to crunch them (often with a
nice garnish) whenever possible. See the BESM Fantasy Bestiary for
a template.

A Note On Half-Races
Half-breed
characters, such as half-Elves and half-Angels do not exist on Lathuria.
No one is really sure why this is the case, but a cross breed between races has
never been seen in the world, at least not that any one has heard of.
Many make-believe stories have sprung up over the centuries, but never has
there been a single documented case of a half-breed.

Magic of Lathuria
No one really knows how magic is
possible, but it is a definite reality. Among the Races of Power, magic
is as common as a drink of water. Black Magic is derived from the astral
energies of the Demons and those who specialize in it can be capable of
incredible destructive power. The opposite is true of White Magic which
is derived from the astral energies of the Angels. Demons and Angels are
allowed only the types of magic that are native to their astral selves, but can
come up with spells and cantrips on the fly with no need for memorization of
spells or incantations. As such, players of Angels and Demons do not need
to assign their magic points before gameplay.
Elves differ from the other two
immortal races in that they do not draw upon their own astral energies for
magic. Instead, they tap into the primal forces of nature. What
this means for the player of an Elven character is that they will have to
assign their magic points to pre-made spells and effects, just in the same way
an Elf would have to memorize a spell. Elves are limited to magic effects
based on the elements, but Elemental Magic has been known to produce both
destruction and creation.
Humans have no restriction on their
magic. They can cast Black, White, or Elemental Magic or even a
combination of the three. Most often, however, a Human will choose to
focus on one type or another and master it before moving on to another.
Like Elves, Humans do not draw upon their own astral energies. Instead,
they draw on the energies of the Angels, the Demons, or the elements. As
such, they too must memorize spells and the player must assign their magic
points before gameplay.

Forming Your
Adventuring Party
As in any RPG, your group should get
together during character creation and discuss the types of characters you are
going to make. An entire company of Angels may be all well and good, but
what will the group do when faced with an angry Dragon or an army of Orcs and
no real attack power? The adventuring group that you and your fellow
players form should consist of characters with skills that compliment each
other rather than mimic each other.
This idea is pretty standard in any
RPG. Talk with your GM and your group to get the process moving.

Being a Part of an
Organization (optional step)
There are many covert and
not-so-covert organizations on Lathuria. There's even a few semi-covert
ones. Explanations of these organizations can be found in The
Faces of Lathuria, but you may wish to make your character a member
of one of the organizations. Each one has advantages and disadvantages to
being a member and you should consider them all carefully. They can give
your GM some exciting (or deadly!) plot hooks and cane serve to make your
character the star for a while in the story line. You should speak with
your GM prior to making your character a member in one of those organizations
to see how much it will come into play. If you decide to make your
character a member of one of the organizations, you should assign the
appropriate levels of Organizational Ties attribute and the Red Tape
flaw. Have fun with the advantages, but don't be surprised if your GM
uses it to bite you in the butt, too!
Also, you should be aware that the
histories of these organizations are still on-going. As the story lines
of Spellweavers advance, some of these organizations may undergo some rather
drastic changes. Whether your group decides to implement these changes as
they come to light is, as always, up to your group and the GM. But you
should keep an eye on the story lines in case something happens in an organization
that your character will have to deal with.

3X3X3 (optional step)
No one comes out of no where,
plunked on to the face of the world fully-formed and ready to adventure.
Each character you make should have something that resembles a back story.
One easy way of fleshing out who your character is and where they come from is
the 3X3X3 activity. Using this
handy pdf chart, you can quickly sketch out three friends, three
allies, and three enemies that your character has had dealings with prior to
her life as an adventurer. This is not only a useful tool for making a
character for Lathuria or BESM, but you can apply it to many other games as
well.